That's really sad. Those parents are setting a fine example for their young children. I guess the only way to police that is to keep the candy inside and hand it out each time trick or treaters ring the doorbell. Not sure what can be done about the beer cans. Maybe set up a trash can with a sign that says "put beer cans here" although I doubt that would do any good. The types of cretins who are drinking beer while taking their kids trick or treating probably aren't inclined to use a trash can.

How about just don't participate? I don't and won't do halloween.

If I really put any thought into how awful people behave, I'd pull my hair out. On occasion, I do. lol This is just one more example of how entitled people feel. Really! They take the bowls too!

Raee, that happened in your neighborhood?? Wow. We’ve only ever had one instance of emptying the bowl, and I caught them before they got to the driveway—turns out we knew them! They were pretty sheepish. Why would someone take the bowl itself?? I always use a plastic dollar store bowl so that if it falls it doesn’t break.

(and at least one parent caught on a doorbell camera) emptying the entire bowl (yes, folks who put unattended bowls out know they are risking that, but still want to offer candy; and don't expect adults to do it!!!).

Same thing happened here. Caught on their Ring doorbell camera.

https://ring.com/share/6754115804198925279

I find this sad too. What kind of parents did these parents have? My goodness, to think it is okay to dump the whole bowl, and then take the bowl?!

How about a sign that says "please take one.....and look up and smile for my home watch camera! Happy Holloween!"

This way they don't know where the camera is actually coming from. (And, of course if you don't actually have one....hee, hee)

One year my cute light-up tiny ghost was taken. I stopped putting out decor after that.

I understand leaving a bowl out to be a team player, but in my opinion, it's the whole experience that makes it Halloween. Ringing the doorbell, saying trick or treat, maybe a little banter about the costumes etc.

Like Raye mentions, maybe take a break next year. Leave the porch light off.

Another parent caught on camera stealing the bowl as well!

I‘d put that video on Facebook and offer a reward — maybe $25 — to anyone who can identify the person. Embarass the hell out of ’em! Actually, I’d probably also send it to the local television stations. :)

That’s really a shame. I live in a neighborhood known as a great Halloween location. We have smaller homes located in an area surrounded by huge homes. People bring their kids here in droves. I gave away more than 400 pieces of candy . Although the mobs of kids got to be overwhelming at times, I have to say that they were all polite. Nearly all said thank you or happy Halloween, as well as trick or treat when I opened the door. Many of the parents dressed up in clever costumes.

Ditto for me, dedtired, though maybe not quite that many kiddos and minus the huge homes.

I give out king sized bars and movie theater candy at a little table in my driveway, and I was pretty surprised at how many kids asked if they could take more than 1. These were kids old enough to know better - I don't blame the little ones who get excited at all the choices and try to load up. :)

Only one parent irritated me. She had 2 kids with her and she was chatting with me while they picked. She was very nice and each of her kids picked out one. Then the little boy took another and she didn't notice, so I let it go. Then he announced to her that he took 2 and instead of telling him to put one back, or asking me if that's okay, she just smiled and laughed, and her other child took a 2nd one. The first little boy was reaching for a third when they finally moved on. I didn't say anything for the 2nd but I definitely would have stopped the third.

Luckily everyone else was lovely and all the kids were very polite, even if they asked for more. Towards the end of the night I started telling them to take 2 or 3 and even then a few of the kids were like, "are you sure?!"

I now realize I was taking a risk of having a nasty trick done to me, but many years ago two teenage boys came to my door dressed in their everyday clothes, not a hint of a costume. AND they were carrying pillow cases! It was simply a candy-grab without any aspect of the spirit of Hallowe'en, and it made me mad, so I refused to give them any candy. Told them to come back with some modicum of a costume, no matter how simple, and then they'd get some loot.

They left, and later came back, with their faces painted appropriately for the occasion, and I praised them for going along, as I gave them their candy. Not a bit of nasty retaliation from them, either. (I realize this could have turned out differently.)

We live a distance from neighbors now, on a country road, so do not get any trick-or-treaters any longer, sadly.

Years and years ago, most trick or treaters in our neighborhood had come and gone and things had slowed to a trickle. We felt pretty safe leaving the bowl on the porch and running our DD over to DH’s parents for her to ToT at their house. We weren’t gone but about 30 minutes. Came back to an empty bowl and a smashed pumpkin.

This was in the 70’s and still, so sad. So yes, the parents and grandparents probably teach this.

My neighbor across the street left out a bowl and a sign to take one and I could hear some of the kids debating whether they could take one or more. And even at my very candy-laden table, I heard one girl urging her friends to go to the neighbor's house cause they have a "bucket" which I guess meant "all you can take" to them.

When I was a teenager, my brother and I made a scarecrow and put it in a chair with a bowl of candy and sign, please take one. Had a microphone hooked up too! When a kid would come along and take a piece of candy we would yell, “Bring back my candy”! So mean, but so fun. Loved the reactions, but had to run out the door to give the little ones a bunch of candy when they threw their one piece back!

I didn't get to pass out candy with my daughter. I was at work and about an hour and a half into trick or treat I asked her how it was going. She said hardly anyone coming. They were having a big party/candy handout on Main Street, which kind of annoyed me. She said when she drove by on her way to my house the street was blocked and packed with kids. Why have something like that on the same night as trick or treat? Anyway, later kids started coming. I told her if and when they did to give out handfuls so there wouldn't be a lot leftover. I bought a lot. Luckily there was none left by the time I got home this morning.

It's sad that kids don't have respect for other people's property or are so greedy.

We don't have many in this neighborhood, and I can't blame the kids. The street is hilly, dead end, wooded and a little dark. Not helped by my neighbor to my left not participating (he was out of town) and neighbor across from our corner lot had all lights off (not sure why, they are young retired grandparents themselves).

We had about 20 kids. All cute, dressed, appreciative. No teens this year. Enough activity to make it a little fun for DH, he's always loved Halloween and I know misses the activity on our former street.

Story: My SIL was at their weekend house passing out candy one year and her husband was going to do it here in town. At the last minute, he decided to go to a highschool football game with his brother, took out the nearest large bowl he could find and filled it with candy bars. Set it outside at the front door.

When she got home she found the bowl, emptied of candy, but at least she had the bowl. Wallace Sterling Grand Baroque.

@morz8 - Washington Coast, oh, oh, oh...if that bowl had been stolen...I can just imagine the repercussions.

Yes, Fun2....I think he heard an earful even with the bowl safe. We're still teasing him about it a few years later - he was completely clueless as to its value.

There were a few local posts about kids stealing the candy and bowl around here. If it bothers you too much, you can always choose not to participate.

My neighborhood had several posts before Halloween welcoming older teens to tt. My 16 yo had a few friends over. They wanted to tt our neighborhood because one of their favorite teachers lives here and they all wanted to go to his house. They came back and hung out for a while and went through their baskets and talked. They had come across one outside party. The people gave them cupcakes and chips. They loved that. They really loved where it looked like someone had cleaned out the happy meal toys and cheap trinkets. My dd had a stuffed frog and a rat. Another friends had a paddle and ball. They had a blast playing with those toys.

I don't get anybody at my present house, but my last house we would get 50 to 75 kids. I would sit out on the porch with the bowl of candy on the other side of me to hand to the kids. The neighborhood kids were nice, polite, and wait for you to put the candy in their bag. But over the hill from us was a poor town that was filling up with not so stellar citizens. (One reason why I moved) They would bring their kids up to our neighborhood to get the good candy. The kids actually tried to reach over me to grab as much candy as they could. Greedy little urchants. They only got one small chocolate bar from me instead of the handful I usually gave out. What would kill me is the parents who had their own bag and expected candy.

An idea for future use would be to fill little clear sandwich bags with candy, close with a bread wrapper twist tie, string a clothesline and hang the bags on the line with clip clothespins. Of course the clip clothespins might disappear. The clotheslines should be at different heights where the little ones could still reach.

I saw only one little boy grab a big handful and then go for another handful. His Dad was standing nearby but didn't notice. The lady handing out the candy told him "Whoa, I said take a handful, not two". He put the other handful back.

Most parents were watching carefully and giving the cues when necessary for saying "Trick or Treat!" and "Thank you!". Esp. to the very small kids. I'd say the vast majority of children were polite.

I'm always surprised to see teenagers. I know there are differing opinions but I don't understand why they are out trick or treating. Maybe it's the dressing up and being with friends more than the candy.

Still quite a few Harry Potters and Hermoine Grangers out there.

I remember when I was a kid, we went to the "rich" neighborhood one year thinking we would get good candy. But those stuck up people had two bowls of candy - the "good" stuff for the kids in their neighborhood and cheap stuff for the rest of us.

That always bothered me, and still does. Not for the lesser quality candy but being made to feel like we weren't as deserving as the rich kids, and weren't wanted in their neighborhood. I understand giving extras or special treats to neighbor kids but I feel they went about it all wrong by making the different bowls obvious. They would come to the door with a bowl of big candy bars, look at us, and then go get the bowl of little candies instead.

We get a lot of kids who don't live in our neighborhood, since it's good for trick or treating, and they all get the same candy.

People lack compassion. If you have two bowls, it doesn't have to be obvious.

One year we spent Halloween in our weekend home. We went Trick or Treating with a neighbor. When we rang one doorbell, it was someone they knew. That family had a special gift bag for their son. I remember how the disappointing looks on my girls' face receiving the usual piece of candy while he got something more extravagant.

Chi, I'm curious, with everyone dressed up how did they know who was who?

When the older kids come to the door, they sometimes just stand there. I say “Well?” They still just stand there. Finally one might say “Trick or treat.” I sometimes have to prompt them “If you want to play the game you have to play the WHOLE game!“ I’m smiling, because it really is funny, but I’m also amazed that they think they don’t have to say anything.

I don‘t think I’ve ever had a group that didn’t say “thank you”.

I‘d never have two different bowls of candy to discriminate in that way! That is a nasty trick!

My friends one year convinced me to go trick or treating in the “rich” neighborhood because they had “better candy”. Gee, guess what, they all bought their candy from the same stores my neighborhood did.

Once our current town got a Costco, full-size bars became de rigueur lol instead of “hey! The house on the corner has full-size bars!” Remember when there was no such thing as “fun size”? We didn’t even need a word for full-size bars!

I believe that there has always been good and bad kids at Halloween, when I was young it was bully's who would steel candy bags from smaller kids. Smash pumpkins. And of course those trying to take extra candy if they could. I think what has changed is the adults have gotten well lazy . Parents not enforcing or teaching good manors, moral behavior. Or checking to see if their unattended child behaved while they were not looking. If an adult who is not a parent tries to stop or intervene they are taking a chance of getting hassled or in trouble. How can we expect kids to learn right from wrong, if no one tells them no or holds them accountable when they make a mistake. If all they are shown is adults taking the easy way doing what they they when they want and screwing over the other guy if it benefits them,not caring how it effects anyone else, how do they know the behavior is wrong?

Point in case a cop was interviewed on the radio this week talking about drinking and driving. A teenager that was pulled over was over the limit his explanation of why he did it was his dad does it all the time.

Parenting done right is a LOT of work, and unless your child is a angel your not going to be their friend, your not supposed to be their friend you are their parent your job for the first 18 years is to raise a good productive person who is a benefit to society. Hmm this became a rant.

Halloween should be fun, free candy, playtime, strangers giving positive attention to kids, a time for them to grow become more confident brave and use their manors learn the right way to behave when no one is looking, have fun get a reward for doing it.

For a lot of years I put out a large display it was my way as an adult to enjoy Halloween. I put it up and down in one day, I only put things out when I was able to keep an eye on it. Anything that could be picked up and walked away with got tied down. This was just as much for the adults as the kids. At my door the majority of kids are good, some are a bit thoughtless in their excitement, a few houses over reports of stolen candy from bowls. I am always so disappointed in the adults on my street who can't be bothered for ONE night to give out candy. Its a few hours out of their lives, I get those who are not home due to work, but ask a neighbor to give out your candy. Halloween may not be a real holiday but it was for me a wonderful day as a kid. Thanks to bad adults a lot of the good has been lost which is a shame for today's kids and society.

It was cold here on Halloween! I'm sure that it wouldn't seem that way to someone from cooler climates but we were hovering in the low 40s. Usually we see around 50-60 kids, lots of little ones but this year we mostly had teens and tweens (and only around 25 kids in all). I love Halloween and I think that teens probably love it too so I never mind older kids stopping by. They are always polite here. Hubby and I dressed as pirates this year and personally greeted and handed out the candy. It was great fun for us and we got to meet some new neighbors.

Chi, don't let it bother you. They weren't wealthy they are what we call the " want to be". Wealthy people would never do that to a kid. The truly wealthy don't want to stick out . For 14 years we lived in the township next to the wealthiest area in our city . My daughter went to the same pre schools and elementary school as their kids. My husband worked for the local water auth and was in all of their homes. The "want to be" stuck out like a sore thumb and the wealthy didn't want anything to do with them. Their whole goal was to try to impress the right people, but really didn't have the money to do so and were cheap and tacky .